rank and file : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: rank and file	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for rank and file
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
rank and file n the ordinary members of an organization (such as the enlisted soldiers of an army); "the strike was supported by the union rank and file"; "he rose from the ranks to become a colonel" Synonym(s): rank and file, rank people who constitute the main body of any group
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Rank \Rank\, n. [OE. renk, reng, OF. renc, F. rang, fr. OHG. hring a circle, a circular row, G. ring. See {Ring}, and cf. {Range}, n. & v.] 1. A row or line; a range; an order; a tier; as, a rank of osiers. Many a mountain nigh Rising in lofty ranks, and loftier still. --Byron. 2. (Mil.) A line of soldiers ranged side by side; -- opposed to file. See 1st {File}, 1 (a) . Fierce, fiery warriors fought upon the clouds, In ranks and squadrons and right form of war. --Shak. 3. Grade of official standing, as in the army, navy, or nobility; as, the rank of general; the rank of admiral. 4. An aggregate of individuals classed together; a permanent social class; an order; a division; as, ranks and orders of men; the highest and the lowest ranks of men, or of other intelligent beings. 5. Degree of dignity, eminence, or excellence; position in civil or social life; station; degree; grade; as, a writer of the first rank; a lawyer of high rank. These all are virtues of a meaner rank. --Addison. 6. Elevated grade or standing; high degree; high social position; distinction; eminence; as, a man of rank. {Rank and file}. (a) (Mil.) The whole body of common soldiers, including also corporals. In a more extended sense, it includes sergeants also, excepting the noncommissioned staff.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
2. Course of thought; thread of narration. [Obs.] Let me resume the file of my narration. --Sir H. Wotton. {File firing}, the act of firing by file, or each file independently of others. {File leader}, the soldier at the front of any file, who covers and leads those in rear of him. {File marching}, the marching of a line two deep, when faced to the right or left, so that the front and rear rank march side by side. --Brande & C. {Indian file}, [or] {Single file}, a line of men marching one behind another; a single row. {On file}, preserved in an orderly collection. {Rank and file}. (a) The body of soldiers constituing the mass of an army, including corporals and privates. --Wilhelm. (b) Those who constitute the bulk or working members of a party, society, etc., in distinction from the leaders.